500 mL bottle picked up at the LCBO; BB date May 2012. Pours a deep golden-yellow, borderline-amber colour, topped with a foamy one-finger head that is largely gone within a few minutes. A patchy cap remains on the surface. The smell is skunky at first (when I am emperor, putting beer in green bottles will be illegal), but letting it mellow for a bit reveals the true aroma - grainy barley malts with a bit of grassy hay.

This stuff is pretty tasty actually, with a very good balance between sweet, bready barley malt and grassy, leafy noble hops. Faint leafy bitterness lingers briefly in the finish. A bit of nutty character in the malts. Light-bodied, with marginally lower carbonation than average for the style. Very smooth, and easy to throw back, but it's tasty enough that I'd rather pace myself and enjoy every sip.

A solid Czech - err, Slovak - pilsener. In fact, it's probably better than most of the Czech-made Czech pilseners I've had recently. Any pilsener fan would be doing themselves a disservice by avoiding this; I will probably pick it up again some time.

[Updated May 28 2016]

I picked up another 500 mL bottle, "best before" Jan 27 2017, which by North American import standards is reasonably fresh I'd say. This is one of those lagers that is only really good when it's fresh - but the green bottle doesn't help much in that regard, and neither do large retailers who overstock themselves (or leave it sitting unrefrigerated underneath bright lights, etc.). Do not judge this beer by what happens to it when it has been abused. If you enjoy Czech-style pilseners and can find a fresh box/flat of this, do not be afraid to pull the trigger because when it's at the top of its game, Golden Pheasant is hard to beat.

Flavour-wise, you get your sweet bready malts and that grassy hop background but, similar to some Belgian pilseners, there is a definite suagry, fruity character in there as well which adds some nice complexity to the brew and keeps you guessing on what flavours might come out.

Mouthfeel is light and crisp with a nice clean, spicy aftertaste on the finish.

Overall, a great pils. I'm glad I tried this beer out an I will definitely purchase it again the future.

Pours a clear deep golden yellow with a 1 inch foamy white head that settles to a small cap. Thick legs of lace form down the glass on the drink down. Smell is of grains, grass, and some herbal scents. Taste is of grains and grassy flavors with a mild herbal hop quality on the finish. A very mild hop bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a pretty good carbonation level with a nice crip, clean mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good pilsener but nothing too exciting.

The taste is where this beer stands out. It starts out quite clean and crisp with a fair bit of bitterness. This gradually gives way to some light sweetness and maltiness. It finishes with some slightly spicy bitterness.

Overall, this is a nice, and slightly layered beer. A pleasant surprise.

T: Clean bland barley with a harsh cream undertone that doesn't suit the beer (or the style, for that matter) at all. Very poorly built. There is, however, a nice cream finish but the barley sharpens during the final act, throwing off the balance. Otherwise, this might be a nice effect.

Mf: Very wet, but strangely coarse and sharp. Not at all refreshing or pleasant.

Dr: It's far too expensive in Ireland, but I assume it's affordable elsewhere. It's a garbage beer, not to be consumed by proper beer fanatics.

500ml into a snifter...big pilsener head with decent retention on top of a clean body. Solid lacing for the style. Aroma isn't quite as funky with the yeast as I like in this style, but it's well balanced and also very clean. Taste is balanced, smooth, highly drinkable. Mouthfeel is clean and crisp too. I am using that adjective a lot in this review, but this is quite simply a super clean beer. Good value too, easy call to buy frequently, it's a classic of the style.

Appearance: Very light with a thin white head, looks similar to a light beer.
Smell: Very strong malty aroma, strange for a pilsner.
Taste: Once again very malty taste, similar to that of a bock. Not quite what I expected but very good nonetheless.
Mouthfeel: Very smooth, with no afterbite.
Overall: Very good beer, would definately recommend it to a friend or stranger. Slightly on the expensive side($12.60) for a 6 pack, but the flavor is worth it. Warning though, if you are a fan of normal pilsners you may not like it because of its aforementioned bock taste.

This beer really tries to go for a champagne feel. from the gold tinwrap on the bottlecap this stuff pours out bubbly and champagne colored. a solid yellow fizzy. lots of bubbles coming up from bottom.
a white head is gone really fast.

aroma.
vinergar aroma. cidery apple smell. this settles with some aeration.
after that i get citrus hops. very light on the nose. faint aroma, weak. a little sweetness under that from malt. a faint honey.
smells average at best.
the carbonation goes and goes. more honey as the beer sits.

the beer is surprsingly bitter for its genre. eastern europe mass produce. bitterness is nice and lingers and cuts through the lemon pledge taste underneath.
going in for a second sip brings a reminder of the unappealling nose.

lots of carbonation. this beer makes a good digestive in that regard. healthy burps.i'm gonna give that a bump in the mouthfeel category.

overall not recommended. leaves a bit of dryness and bitterness but which i like but there is too much negative for me in the nose. and the style is not very ambitious or good.

While this has a crisp golden bronze color, it had basically no head, but the aroma is nice and hoppy with a nice bread like character to it. The taste and mouthfeel are crisp and clean and again rather like raw bread dough in flavor. I will say I like the fact that it had a bit of an effervescent quality to it.

Pours a super-clear, golden yellow. a white head laces the glass. Smell is very minerally, some biscuity malt and a faint bitterness. Taste is way more "round" than the smell. A fair amount of estery back end and a nice, mellow hop finish. Super smooth feel with some zest at the end, easy to drink. A fine pilsner, here!

Light golden amber in appearance with a bubbly two-finger sized head that settles to a thin lacing around the glass.

A combination of grassy hops & citrus was masked somewhat but a skunky main aroma. Quite bland in general although not really unpleasant.

Quite a standard pale lager/pilsner that was a rather bland affair with the slightest of skunky tastes coming from the pint. The taste also hinted at some grassy hops, grain & citrus/lemon although this again was masked for the most part.

A light pilsener with a semi smooth texture that goes down incredibly easy & tingles the tongue ever so slightly.

A pretty average pilsener in my opinion although it does go down very easy & works wonders as a session beer.

I poured the half liter bottle into a stella Artois glass. The beer poured a nice cloudy golden color with a small white lacing for a head. Plenty of nice hop bitterness on the tongue with a buttery finish. The mouthfeel is very mellow a goes down smoothly. A great sipping beer and even better for long sessions.

Pourd a .5L can into my mug. Appeared gold, not entirely clear, with a short head. The bitterness is right in line with the style with a rounded, herbal hop finish. The aroma and flavor are a touch cider-like at first, but the spicy, dry lemony hops quickly take over. Not a bad lager to session.

T - Grassy hops and a wheaty malt come through with some hop bitterness that lingers. Reminiscent of a Heineken Pale Lager but with more dominant flavours. Better than some of the Canadian large scale brews available.

M - Medium bodied, a bit prickly going down but finishes with a nice touch of dryness.

D - A pleasant surprise and a tasty Euro lager that would bode well on a hot summer day. Flavours are mild, but I would definitely prefer this over some of the Canadian large scale brews.

A low profile white head quickly dissipates to a thin film over the clear, honey-yellow brew with very little lacing. It clouds up a little as the last dregs from the bottle drip in some yeasty sediment. It has the smell of Euro mineral water and damp wood.

The beer has a decent grain bill, with a touch of sweetness in the cereal malts and some light hops giving a bit of bitters character. Overall a pretty smooth product, easily consumed, with a nice, straightforward label and well rounded flavor profile. Probably would pair well with a roast pheasant dinner.

A- Slightly hazed effervescent straw, with orange tints. Bone white head is one finger that dissapates to a slick and one ring of lacing.
S- Slightly floral, slightly lemony. Grainy. Not a terrible aroma, but very subdued and nothing really standout.
T- Starts grainy, finishes just a touch lemony. A bit sweet throughout, but not overly so.
M- Carbonation was a touch low, but body was slightly fuller than most in style. Together this caused a slightly syrupy note at times, but not terrible.
D- A good Czech Pilsner. though not necessarily standout in the style.

The aroma is a very strong grassy and nutty smell. Pretty distinctive, actually.

Taste is much of the same, with some grassy notes, but a definite nutty character as well. It may very well be of grain or barley, but it comes across nutty. There is a pretty mild bitter touch on the finish that is light for style. More nuttiness and perhaps barley hang around after the swallow.

For style, I can't say this is one of the better ones I've had. The tastes are just a bit off for me. More crispness and hop character would have been welcomed, and the flavor profile is a little odd.